MFP VS Weight Watchers

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lilmissmom
lilmissmom Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone,

I'm new to MFP, I actually found it on my ipod touch when I was searching under fitness. I was on WW for three months and lost 15 pounds. I'm hoping to have the same success on MFP. I don't have as much weight to lose, but I would like to at least get down to 145 and then possibly 140.

Any one out there had experiences with both programs? Obviously one big plus about MFP is that it's free. The only tool I was using on WW was the food and activity counter , I wasn't going to any of the meetings. That's why I thought MFP would be basically the same thing. How is everyone else liking MFP?

Thanks.

Melanie

Replies

  • Voncreepy2
    Voncreepy2 Posts: 1,450 Member
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    Welcome , love it!!!!
    You get a lot of support here and can add your own recipes, meals and snacks. I have done weight watchers but I felt more on my own. It is a community here.
  • mytmom
    mytmom Posts: 29
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    I think I'm the only person WW never worked for, I lost a few pounds but I don't know, I just never liked it. I love MFP and being able to go back and forth between laptop and iPhone and it's always synced. I have recently gotten our my WW points calculator and kind of been just keeping track of points just to get an idea, but I guess it's me, I just find it annoying.
  • BrendaKayS
    BrendaKayS Posts: 38
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    I am lifetime member of w.w. I lost the weight with the core plan. Then I gained it all back. Not weight watchers fault - I went off the program when I got pregnant and never went back. So, that is my background on w.w. :)

    I personally prefer this.

    The reason is simple: the support. Here you have forums such as blogging, posting, etc... so you have support handy 24/7. If at 2 a.m. you wake up dreaming of pepperoni pizza you can log on and find someone to help you through!

    You could count points but really points/calories are about the same. If you aim for higher fiber, lower fat calories and meet your calorie goals you will get the same results but with all this support along the way. You could even log your food all day with your points finder and then just enter your food here if you wanted to do both. It'd be extra work logging it twice but those are just some of the ways you could do it if you find points are easier during your daily life.

    I love weight watchers. It's a great program. And for some people having the face to face interaction and accountability is very key. So they are both great. But personally, MFP is my first choice.
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
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    I've thought about joining ww but isn't MFP and WW about the same? Only MFP is free!
  • cakefarm
    cakefarm Posts: 33
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    Welcome Lilmiss!

    I just quit Weight Watchers. I like MFP much more because I get a more complete view of my nutrition. Just make sure you "friend" people and stay active on the site - that really helps to keep me motivated.

    Ultimately, I like MFP a whole lot more. I like being able to see how many ACTUAL calories I can eat. And I now feel a little silly for paying $20 a month for someone to convert my calories into "POINTS."
  • JennS19
    JennS19 Posts: 642 Member
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    Hi There!

    I've done both programs and both have worked for me. WW is a bit different because it's points based obvioiusly where as MFP is all calorie based. It's all about couting and numbers though so quite similar.

    I love the support I get from this site, the people here are so awesome and always encouraging me. if given a choice right now between a free month of WW and this site I would still choose MFP!!

    Good luck!

    Jenn
  • schaapj2
    schaapj2 Posts: 320 Member
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    I agree. I did Weight Watchers a long time ago and lost 26 pounds, but found the Points thing difficult to keep up.. MFP is better b/c it allows you to target specific things-sodium, carbs, fat, fiber, etc. and adjust them as needed and track them as needed. And I agree, MFP is one great big AWESOME community. In WW meetings I never quite felt like I meshed well. Here, I can find at least 10 people daily that are the exact same age, weight, and struggle with the same thing-making it way more comfortable to communicate and interact. Not to mention everyone on MFP is totally awesome and are working extremely hard to get to their goal. WW felt more like a competition-complete with the solemn glances and the "pity" feeling if you gained weight. If you gain weight, all you get here, is "thats OK, today is a new day" and positive constructive solutions to help you succeed!

    HANDS DOWN I WOULD PICK MFP ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!
  • sexylonglegs
    sexylonglegs Posts: 278
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    I lost 60 pounds on ww a few years back.

    Pros & Cons

    mfp is free; ww is not

    mfp pals give great motivation; ww peeps are rude (sometimes)

    mfp - no need to figure out points; ww - need to convert cals/fat/fiber into points

    **just my two cents worth**
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    I've never paid for WW but have all the points memorized in my head and it’s the easiest way to count calories (assuming however you are responsible enough to not eat a giant piece of cake a day and forego your daily requirements for fiber, protein, veggies b/c it fit into your points)

    If you are looking for a community, its free here and the same if not better.

    If you are like me and work best at the end of the day knowing your points, use this site http://www.spruce.ca/health/wwcalc.html to just do a whole day total. Then at least you know for example 1200 calories 15g fat and 40 g of fiber is only 17 points so eat more, LOL!
  • xquiz8
    xquiz8 Posts: 97 Member
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    Pros & Cons

    mfp is free; ww is not

    mfp pals give great motivation; ww peeps are rude (sometimes)

    mfp - no need to figure out points; ww - need to convert cals/fat/fiber into points

    **just my two cents worth**

    This. :flowerforyou:

    Welcome!
  • Just_Kris
    Just_Kris Posts: 9 Member
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    I have done both as well. Both programs are based on portion control and increasing activity. I personally find the corporate mentality of WW somewhat offensive. Don't try to go to their forums and mention the points value of anything, particularly restaurant food, because they may sell fewer restaurant guides. I like that MFP is free and works just as well ... if I let it!
  • energyzer8
    energyzer8 Posts: 14 Member
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    Welcome :bigsmile:

    I was also in WW and recently quit it once I found this website. I was actually with WW before and lost 10 lbs then gained it back. Went back and tried losing the 10 lbs again and never lost at least 1 lb at all. I was stressing too much about it. So I cancelled it. But, ever since I have been with MFP I started losing weight. Don't get me wrong WW works really well. I've had few friends that are lifetime members, it wasn't for me. Even though meetings was not mandatory but, knowing that i'm paying a monthly fee's and weighing in each week somewhat stressed me out in a sense of "OMG i've been with WW and I haven't lost weight and paying for this!" . So now i'm relaxed and watching my intake like WW but, calories wise along with other information such as FAT, Protein and so on. Great tools!


    Hope this work well for you too :bigsmile:
  • lilmissmom
    lilmissmom Posts: 2
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    Wow, thanks for all the responses!

    I agree about the Message Boards on WW, I posted that I was new and no one wrote me back!

    I also found that on WW I was starving and so far I don't feel that way on here. I guess that's why I wasn't sure if this was going to work or not. I'm used to feeling hungry in order to lose weight!

    I think support on here will be key, I just need to make sure I find the time to come on here to chat with people.

    Looking forward to meeting new people on here! :)
  • WonderNoodle
    WonderNoodle Posts: 549
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    Points, calories, pre-packaged food.....it all comes down to YOU. You being accountable to yourself. MFP gives you the tools, you apply them. The boards are FULL of positive feedback. When you are having a moment, MFP guys and gals are there to help you through it.

    Journal. Exercise. Make friends. It's what MFP is about and why it works!
  • sexylonglegs
    sexylonglegs Posts: 278
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    Wow, thanks for all the responses!

    I agree about the Message Boards on WW, I posted that I was new and no one wrote me back!

    I also found that on WW I was starving and so far I don't feel that way on here. I guess that's why I wasn't sure if this was going to work or not. I'm used to feeling hungry in order to lose weight!

    I think support on here will be key, I just need to make sure I find the time to come on here to chat with people.

    Looking forward to meeting new people on here! :)

    i've only encountered rude peeps on ww ~ i ♥ everyone here!

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